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17-year jail term upheld for man who killed son, mother

gettyimagesbankBy Jun Ji-hyeThe Supreme Court upheld Friday a 17-year prison term for a man who killed his son and mother, and then attempted to commit suicide with his wife.He committed the crimes in April last year after being saddled with billions of won in debt, the court noted.The man was indicted for having his son, who was 12 years old at the time, and his mother take a large dose of sleeping pills that led to their deaths. He then attempted to commit suicide with his wife. He failed, while his wife died, thus adding a charge of abetting suicide in addition to the murders. He and his wife decided to kill their family members as well as themselves after failing to pay off their debts that were incurred from the wife's real estate business.The man pleaded guilty to the crimes and was sentenced to 12 years in prison by a district court.But an appellate court raised the prison term to 17 years, saying, “Criminal law calls for a harsher punishment for those killing family members than other murderers. His son lost his life without even knowing the reason. ” The Supreme

Mar 5, 2021By Jun Ji-hye

17-year jail term upheld for man who killed son, mother

279 caught for spreading disinformation on COVID-19 vaccines

A medical worker receives the first shot of AstraZeneca's two-dose COVID-19 vaccine at Seoul National University Hospital, Thursday. YonhapBy Jun Ji-hye Police have caught 279 people for spreading false information on the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccines both online and offline. The crackdown follows a government pledge to deal sternly with fake news that could undermine the country's antivirus efforts.The National Police Agency (NPA) said Thursday that among those caught was a person who was nabbed recently by the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency for spreading claims online that “COVID-19 vaccines will alter your genes.”A woman in her 60s was also caught by Incheon police for posting dozens of flyers on information boards at bus stops and utility poles around the city. The flyers carried false information that “chips in vaccines will take your life away.” Police have stepped up their crackdowns on disinformation on the pandemic and vaccines as the country began COVID-19 inoculations on Feb. 26. The NPA said its crackdown is aimed at preventing any confusion a

Mar 5, 2021By Jun Ji-hye

279 caught for spreading disinformation on COVID-19 vaccines

'Do you know who my father is?': Woman ignores virus rules on train, yells at complainer

A woman on a KTX train heading to Seoul on Feb. 28 eats food, ignoring the coronavirus safety rules. Screen capture from YouTubeBy Ko Dong-hwanA high-speed intercity train passenger ignored the virus safety rules by taking off her mask, eating food and yelling at a person who complained about her misdemeanor ― asking, “Do you know who my father is?”The woman was video-recorded on Feb. 28 ― inside a KTX train bound to Seoul ― by another passenger who confronted her. Despite a public announcement from a train officer reminding passengers not to eat food in compliance of the government's COVID-19 preventive measures, she continued eating and drinking.The male passenger, who posted the video online and informed the public about her behavior, said a train officer came to give the woman who was eating bread a warning but when the officer left she took out a hamburger and a drink and continued eating.She continued to draw attention there with antisocial behavior, loudly talking on her phone while toying with her long hair much to the discomfort of the passenger sitting behind he

Mar 4, 2021By Ko Dong-hwan

'Do you know who my father is?': Woman ignores virus rules on train, yells at complainer

Moon urges eradication of corruption over LH officials' alleged land speculation

President Moon Jae-in / YonhapPresident Moon Jae-in issued another strong message Thursday on allegations that employees of a state housing cooperation used secret information on a residential area development project for land speculation.He ordered the government to confirm if the scandal is attributable to "deep-rooted corruption," according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kang Min-seok.If so, the government should "eradicate" the problem, the president was quoted as adding.Moon stressed the need for the government to conduct a "swift and stern" probe, while the Board of Audit and Inspection can take action at its own discretion. Moon's call came as the prime minister's office plans to launch a task force later in the day at his instruction.The interagency team is poised to expand the probe to determine whether officials at the land ministry and other relevant public agencies, not just the Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH), and their families are involved in the insider trading scandal.Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun is scheduled to explain the plan in person for the establishment o

Mar 4, 2021

Moon urges eradication of corruption over LH officials' alleged land speculation

Transgender ex-soldier forced to discharge found dead at home

Byun hee-soo / Korea Times fileByun hee-soo, a 23-year-old transgender former soldier forced to discharge from the Army last year, was found dead at her home, police said Wednesday. The Army made the discharge decision in January last year after judging that Byun's loss of male genitals belongs to the Level 3 physical disability under the military laws.In July, the Army rejected Byun's petition for reinstatement. She filed an administrative suit against the Army's decision the following month, arguing it was unconstitutional.In December, the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) said the Army's decision not to allow Byun, then a staff sergeant, to continue to serve in the military as a female soldier had no legal grounds.The NHRCK's opinion came after the Center for Military Human Rights Korea, a civic group, had filed a petition alleging Byun's forced military discharge was discrimination against transgender people.Byun's case drew extensive attention because she was the first South Korean active-duty soldier to have sex reassignment surgery while in service. (Yonhap)

Mar 3, 2021

Transgender ex-soldier forced to discharge found dead at home

Probation officers complain of burnout from constant monitoring of former sex offenders

A probation officer on Mar. 2 visits a former sex offender (face blurred) wearing an electronic anklet who lives in a one-room residence in Seoul's Jongno District. Korea TimesBy Ko Dong-hwanProbation officers in charge of monitoring former sex offenders who wear electronic anklets are complaining of burnout under a system where only a handful of staff are overseeing a large number of ex-convicts.According to the Ministry of Justice, the load each officer is required to deal with has been consistently increasing since the monitoring system was introduced in 2008. That year, there were 48 officers responsible for 151 tagged former convicts nationwide or 3.1 offenders per officer. But the number of former sex offenders being monitored via electronic anklets surpassed 1,000 in 2012, 2,000 in 2014 and 4,000 in 2020, while the pool of law enforcement officers expanded to 237 during the same period. By January 2021, the number of former sex offenders each officer is required to monitor reached 21.7, up seven times since the system was introduced.The workload, according to the South Korean

Mar 3, 2021By Ko Dong-hwan

Probation officers complain of burnout from constant monitoring of former sex offenders

Elementary students accused of 'sexual harassment' for pantsing younger boy

A group of elementary school students are being investigated over allegations that they bullied and sexually harassed a younger boy at a playground, according to police in Gunsan, Tuesday. Korea Times fileBy Ko Dong-hwanPolice in Gunsan are investigating a group of elementary school students over allegations that they bullied and sexually harassed a younger boy.Police in the North Jeolla provincial city said Tuesday that they received a report at around 6 p.m. that 10 boys, who appeared to be fourth to six graders, were bullying a third grader at a playground in the Jigok area in southwestern Gunsan. A majority of students began the new semester on Tuesday amid the COVID-19 pandemic.The report was made by the victim's mother. She told police that the aggressors “pulled down her son's pants” and circled around him and hurled insults at him. The victim's younger sibling was also at the scene, according to the police.Following the incident, the mother posted a text message online, which was shared by local residents, requesting that parents of any of the students at the play

Mar 3, 2021By Ko Dong-hwan

Elementary students accused of 'sexual harassment' for pantsing younger boy

Hate crimes against Asian American on rise in US amid pandemic

People take part in a protest against anti-Asian hate crimes in San Mateo, Calif., Feb. 27. Xinhua-YonhapKorean American congresswoman leading resolution to condemn racist hate crimesBy Bahk Eun-jiAsian American communities in the United States are living in a heightened state of anxiety as hate-fueled attacks against them have soared since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is believed to have originated in China. Reports of assaults have been growing lately, including ones against Korean Americans, and a bipartisan move has been made to condemn such attacks as racist hate crimes.According to U.S. media, a Korean American man in his 20s was attacked by two men when he was walking down a Koreatown street, Feb. 16. The man, Denny Kim, said the two men used hateful and racist language such as “Chinese virus” and assaulted him, pushing him to the ground. He suffered a broken nose and a black eye.After the incident, the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Los Angeles posted a notice on its website, Feb. 25, urging people to pay extra attention to guard ag

Mar 3, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji

Hate crimes against Asian American on rise in US amid pandemic

'Chinese virus, get out!': Chinese lecturer assaulted in UK amid fears of anti-Asian racism

Police look into allegations against LH employees of speculative land buying

The LH office in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province / YonhapPolice began investigating allegations raised by activists that employees at a state housing cooperation bought plots of land in two cities in Gyeonggi Province before the government announced a massive development plan there.The anti-corruption unit of Gyeonggi Nambu Police Agency said Wednesday it received a complaint on the allegations and started to look into them.On Tuesday, the People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy and Minbyun, an association of progressive lawyers, accused 14 employees at the Korea Land and Housing Corp. (LH) of speculative land buying in Gwangmyeong and Siheung.Later that day, the land ministry said it suspended 12 people from their duties, effective immediately. The remaining two were former employees, the ministry said. After the ministry's initial probe, the number of incumbent officials suspected of being involved in the case rose to 13 as of Wednesday afternoon.Last month, the land ministry selected a vast area spanning 12.71 million square meters in the two cities as the site for approx

Mar 3, 2021

Police look into allegations against LH employees of speculative land buying

Woman fined for breaking quarantine to visit dying father

By Bahk Eun-jiA 33-year-old woman was found guilty of breaking self-quarantine, Monday, but a local court handed down a lighter-than-usual sentence as she did so to visit her dying father.The Cheongju District Court fined the woman 1.5 million won ($1,332).GettyimagesbankThe woman was required to self-isolate for two weeks upon her arrival from the United States, April 24 last year, but she left her home the next day to visit a hospital where her father had been hospitalized due to cancer, after she heard he was in critical condition. She had tested negative when she took a coronavirus test at the airport.The next day, Cheongju City Government filed a complaint with the police against the woman for violating the self-isolation rule, after confirming the violation through a GPS tracking system.“(Knowing that she did so to meet her father) we felt bad to file the complaint, but we had to do so due to regulations,” an official of the Cheongju Public Health Center said. The father died six days after her visit. While the maximum punishment for violating self-quarantine is a f

Mar 2, 2021By Bahk Eun-ji

Law & Crime

Law & Crime

17-year jail term upheld for man who killed son, mother

279 caught for spreading disinformation on COVID-19 vaccines

'Do you know who my father is?': Woman ignores virus rules on train, yells at complainer

Moon urges eradication of corruption over LH officials' alleged land speculation

Transgender ex-soldier forced to discharge found dead at home

Probation officers complain of burnout from constant monitoring of former sex offenders

Elementary students accused of 'sexual harassment' for pantsing younger boy

Hate crimes against Asian American on rise in US amid pandemic

Police look into allegations against LH employees of speculative land buying

Woman fined for breaking quarantine to visit dying father

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